Jeremías 4
1 Israel, si quieres volver, vuelve a mí, declara el Señor. Si te deshaces de esos ídolos desagradables que veo, y no te alejas,
Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
2 y si cuando hagas tus votos, lo haces sólo a mí, con sinceridad, verdad y honestidad, entonces serán bendecidas las naciones por mí, y me alabarán.
and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
3 Esto es lo que el Señor dice al pueblo de Judá y de Jerusalén: Siembren su tierra sin arar, y no siembren entre los espinos.
This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
4 Dedíquense al Señor; comprométanse totalmente con él, pueblo de Judá y Jerusalén. De lo contrario, mi ira arderá como el fuego, ardiendo con tanta fuerza que nadie podrá apagarla a causa del mal que has hecho.
Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
5 ¡Anuncien esta advertencia por todo Judá y Jerusalén! Díganles: ¡Toquen la trompeta en todo el país! Griten: “¡Rápido! Corramos hacia las ciudades fortificadas para protegernos”.
“Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
6 ¡Icen la bandera del peligro; vayan a Sión! ¡Busquen un lugar seguro! ¡No duden! Traigo enemigos del norte que causarán una terrible destrucción.
Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
7 Un león ha salido de su escondite; un destructor de naciones ha salido. Ha salido de su guarida para venir a convertir tu país en un páramo. Tus ciudades serán demolidas, y nadie vivirá en ellas.
[An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
8 Vistan ropas de cilicio, lloren y lamenten, gritando: “La furia del Señor contra nosotros no ha cesado”.
So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
9 Cuando eso ocurra, declara el Señor, el rey y los funcionarios desesperarán, los sacerdotes quedarán abatidos y los profetas se escandalizarán.
Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
10 Entonces dije: “Oh, Señor Dios, has engañado completamente al pueblo de Jerusalén diciéndole: ‘Tendrás paz’, mientras nos pones una espada en la garganta”.
Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
11 En ese momento se le dirá al pueblo de Jerusalén: “Un viento ardiente de las colinas desnudas del desierto está soplando hacia Jerusalén, pero no para llevarse la paja o el polvo.
When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
12 No, este viento es demasiado fuerte para eso, y viene de mí. Ahora también voy a decirles cómo los voy a castigar”.
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 Mira, se precipita como nubes de tormenta; sus carros son como un torbellino. Sus caballos son más rápidos que las águilas. “¡Qué desastre! Estamos arruinados!”
[Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
14 Limpia el mal de tu corazón, Jerusalén, para que puedas salvarte. ¿Hasta cuándo te aferrarás a tus malos pensamientos?
[You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
15 Las noticias llegan a gritos desde Dan, anunciando el desastre desde las colinas de Efraín.
From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
16 “¡Que se enteren las naciones! ¡Miren lo que está sucediendo! Anuncien esto a Jerusalén: Un ejército está viniendo a asediarte desde un país lejano; dando gritos de guerra contra las ciudades de Judá.
Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
17 La rodean como hombres que cuidan un campo, porque se ha rebelado contra mí, declara el Señor.
They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
18 Tú misma provocaste esto con tus propias actitudes y acciones. Este es tu castigo, y es tan doloroso que es como si te apuñalaran en el corazón”.
You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
19 “Estoy en agonía, ¡en absoluta agonía! ¡Mi corazón se está rompiendo! ¡Late salvajemente en mi pecho! Mi corazón late dentro de mí; no puedo callar porque he oído la trompeta, la señal de batalla.
I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
20 “Las noticias de una catástrofe tras otra llegan a raudales, pues todo el país está en ruinas. Mi propia casa se destruye en un instante, y también todo lo que hay dentro.
Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
21 ¿Hasta cuándo tengo que ver las banderas de guerra y oír las trompetas de batalla?”
How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
22 “Mi gente es estúpida; no me conocen. Son niños tontos que no entienden. Son expertos en hacer el mal, pero no saben hacer el bien”.
[Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
23 Miré la tierra, y estaba sin forma y vacía; Miré a los cielos, y su luz había desaparecido.
[God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
24 Miré a las montañas y vi que temblaban; todas las colinas se agitaban de un lado a otro.
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 Miré, y no quedaba nadie; todas las aves habían volado.
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 Miré, y los campos fértiles eran un desierto. Todas las ciudades fueron demolidas por la furia del Señor.
I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
27 Esto es lo que dice el Señor: “Todo el país será devastado, pero no lo haré completamente.
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 La tierra se enlutará y los cielos se oscurecerán. Yo he hablado; esto es lo que he ordenado. No me detendré ni cambiaré de opinión”.
I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
29 Habitantes de todos los pueblos: huyan cuando oigan venir a los jinetes y arqueros enemigos. Escóndanse en el bosque y entre las rocas. Todas las ciudades están abandonadas; nadie vive en ellas.
[When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
30 Tú, Jerusalén, ahora desolada, ¿qué vas a hacer? Aunque te vistas con ropas de color escarlata, y te pongas joyas de oro, y te maquilles los ojos, ¡todo tu adorno es inútil! Tus amantes te odian; ¡quieren matarte!
So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
31 Oigo los gritos de una mujer que está dando a luz, los gemidos agónicos de una mujer que da a luz a su primer hijo. Son los gritos de la Hija de Sión, que jadea y extiende las manos diciendo: “¡Por favor, ayúdenme, me están matando!”
[It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
